1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electrical connector, and particularly to an electrical connector mountable to a substrate such as a printed circuit board or the like.
2. Description of Related Art
In personal computers, electrical connectors are often mounted to printed circuit boards for electrically connecting the printed circuit boards with other devices. A number of methods for fixing the electrical connectors to the printed circuits are known in the art. For example, a method consists of mounting a piece of metal to an electrical connector and soldering the metal to a printed circuit board. However, this soldering arrangement provides a fixing force which is unstable and of low reliability. Another method consists of using a screw which passes through an opening of an electrical connector flange and tightening the screw to a printed circuit board to which the electrical connector is mounted. A problem with this arrangement is that excessive screw-tightening torque can create a compression force which exceeds the physical strength of the electrical connector flange. Consequently, a problem, such as a deformation or a crack in the flange, is caused.
In order to solve the above problems, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US2002/0168893 A1 discloses a retention structure. The retention structure includes a main body portion defining an opening therein for receiving a screw, a right and a left arm portions extending from two opposite ends of the main body portion for clamping a pair of protruding portions of a connector housing to a printed circuit board, and a mounting flange extending from a side of the main body portion and being inserted into and fixed in an insertion groove of the connector housing. A disadvantage of this retention structure is that the retention structure is secured to the connector housing only by the interference between the mounting flange and end walls of the insertion groove, so the retention structure is apt to be inadvertently taken off from the connector housing by improperly operating during conveying the connector.
Hence, an electrical connector having an improved retention structure is desired.
An object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connector having improved an retention structure which can be reliably fixed to an insulative housing thereof.
To achieve the above object, an electrical connector in accordance with the present invention comprises an insulative housing defining a plurality of passageways, a plurality of electrical terminals received in the passageways of the insulative housing, and a retention structure. The insulative housing comprises a pair of support portions. Each support portion has an upper side, a lower side opposite to the upper side and an outer side. The retention structure includes a body portion and a pair of extensions extending from the body portion and engaging with the insulative housing. The body portion comprises a main plate, a pair of side portions extending upwardly from two opposite sides of the main plate, a pair of upper portions extending toward each other from the two side portions. The two upper portions and the main plate clamp the upper and lower sides of the two support portions, the two side portions clamp the outer sides of the two support portions.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.